Opera House Forecourt to Allow 7,000 Fans and Midnight Music
The NSW Government will allow amplified music until midnight and increase Forecourt capacity to 7,000, ending a “Sydney sport” of noise complaints from nearby residents.
Category: Events
Four-gallery bus tour from Art Gallery NSW launches July 3
The Art Gallery of NSW is running a 3-hour bus tour on 3 July 2026 visiting four commercial galleries in Surry Hills, Waterloo and Zetland. Tickets $50 members, $65 non-members. Bookings essential.
Vivid Drone Show Grounded After 89 Crash Into Darling Harbour
Cockle Bay worker Robert heard the crash from 10 metres away as 89 drones plummeted into the water and wharf during Vivid Sydney’s Star-Bound show on 25 May. No one was hurt, but the festival cancelled subsequent drone performances pending a safety investigation.
Vivid Sydney spans 6.5km across three waterfront precincts
The Vivid Light Walk stretches 6.5km through three harbour precincts this year, with 43 installations running nightly until 13 June. More than 80% of the program is free.
Torres Strait artist Brian Robinson transforms Maritime Museum into Vivid’s largest Indigenous program
Torres Strait artist Brian Robinson’s Cosmic Chase transforms the Maritime Museum rooftop into an animated Pac-Man battleground for Vivid Sydney’s largest Indigenous program.
King Stingray headlines Opera House debut in Yolŋu surf-rock first
King Stingray makes their Sydney Opera House headline debut on 22 May, the first Arnhem Land-based band to command the Concert Hall stage in the venue’s 53-year history.
Tweed chef Ben Devlin brings coastal fire-cooking to Vivid Sydney
Chef Ben Devlin brings his award-winning Northern Rivers cuisine to Firedoor for two exclusive Vivid Sydney dinners on 25-26 May, showcasing Tweed Coast seafood and wood-fired cooking techniques.
Vivid Sydney adds daytime magic for first time in 16-year history
Vivid Sydney launches daytime programming for the first time, welcoming families and accessibility-focused visitors with stroller-accessible installations starting 22 May.
Vivid Sydney 2026 adds daytime magic for families
Vivid Sydney 2026 introduces daytime programming for the first time, making the festival accessible to families with young children before the lights switch on at dusk.
Booker Prize winners stream free to Sutherland libraries this May
David Szalay and Yann Martel headline free livestreams to Sutherland and Central Coast libraries from 21-24 May, as Sydney Writers’ Festival expands regional access to 152 venues.
Symphony aboard Sydney superyacht marks first Vivid floating concert
The Jackson superyacht will host Sydney Symphony Orchestra performances during Vivid Sydney on 23 May and 30 May, marking the first floating classical concerts in the festival’s history.
Nine leading chefs take over Foster Street for one night only
Nine leading Sydney chefs including Lennox Hastie and Nelly Robinson will transform Foster Street into an open-air dining precinct for one night during Vivid Sydney.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra musicians perform aboard The Jackson superyacht during Vivid
Sydney Symphony Orchestra musicians perform aboard luxury superyacht The Jackson during Vivid 2026, offering exclusive harbour dining with live classical music and Penfolds wine pairings.
Antony Partos’ Mathematical Score Powers Vivid’s Record Drone Season
Antony Partos creates an orchestral-electronic score for Vivid’s 1000-drone spectacular, using Fibonacci sequences and mathematical patterns from nature in Sydney’s longest drone season yet.
Sydney Writers’ Festival defends free speech stance with controversial lineup
Sydney Writers’ Festival takes explicit free speech stance by including controversial Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, drawing criticism from Jewish community leaders over perceived one-sided programming.
Sydney’s winter festivals offer 23 nights of free entertainment
Vivid Sydney leads a winter festival season offering 80% free programming across seven major events from May to August, with extensive family entertainment requiring no advance booking or tickets.
Star-Bound drone show returns with 1,000 lights over Cockle Bay
A thousand drones return to Vivid Sydney with 22 shows across 11 nights at Cockle Bay, relocating from Circular Quay after 2024’s crowd safety concerns.
Fashion Week returns to harbour for 30th anniversary
Australian Fashion Week returns to Sydney Harbour after 14 years, bringing Toni Maticevski back to the runway and opening public access through free Fashion Pass registration.
Vivid Sydney offers 23 nights of free music at Tumbalong Park
Matt Corby headlines 23 nights of free live music at Tumbalong Park, with international artists from Nigerian afrobeat to K-pop performing without charge throughout Vivid Sydney 2026.
Flying Lotus returns for Astral People’s Opera House takeover
Flying Lotus returns to Sydney Opera House for the first time in over a decade as Astral People stages a 15th anniversary venue-wide takeover on 27 May during Vivid LIVE.